The Six Tasks of Kim and Ron
by ZorpoxTheConqueror
Summary: Snowman Hank isn't the only one with tasks before Christmas. My entry into Whitem's 2nd Annual Snow Daze Holiday Story Contest.


**A/N **First I want to give a very appreciative 'thank you' to my beta, Eddy13, for both beta checking this quick, and catching an error in this story. I get so focused on what I want to write, that sometimes I miss obvious things.

My entry in Whitem's Second Annual Snow Daze Holiday Contest.

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_**The Six Tasks of Kim and Ron**  
_

* * *

_Four weeks ago..._

_A blond figure walked down the streets of Middleton, his gaze focused on the ground, as if searching for something. He was only half paying attention to his task; by all accounts, what he was attempting was hopeless. For any single man to search an entire city, for a single small object, was completely inconceivable, totally undoable. For this person, thought, impossible wasn't something he believed in. He had seen, time and again, that anything was possible._

_He had clung to that belief, throughout the last few months, even with the odds against him. He had sworn not to stop looking until he found the target of his quest; but as time wore on, he had finally come to accept that sometimes, things really are impossible. _

_As he turned to give up his search, a small glint caught his eye. Knowing that it could be almost anything, metal scrap, a candy wrapper, he intended to just turn around and head home. Something caused him pause; he felt drawn, and turned, moving towards the shiny object. His eyes widened with recognition, and he dropped to his knees, reaching a shaky hand down to brush lightly at the dirt obscuring the metal. The shifting dirt blew in the wind, revealing a small, heart shaped locket, one side partially melted and deformed. He brushed his thumb across the top, revealing the small inscription: 'K & R.'_

_He had found it._

X X X X

"Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron, Ronronronron..." Hana Stoppable sing-songed her brother's name as she ran around the ceiling, giggling to herself. She had recently figured out her brother's name, and ever since had been using it almost exclusively.

Kim just watched her run around the ceiling, sighing as she laid back on the couch. She was _so_ going to kill her boyfriend. He had promised her that he was just going to be gone for an hour, tops, and had asked if she could watch his sister for a little while. That was almost three hours ago. If it wasn't for that fact that she knew he was looking for her Christmas gift, she'd have called him and demanded that he come back.

The red head rolled her eyes and shook her head. Mr Procrastinator himself, Ron had waited until Christmas Eve to get her gift, and she was beyond feeling sorry for him. She'd mentioned it time and again, hoping that for once he would act responsibly. Nope. She had hoped that he would catch her drift, and that the two of them would be able to spend the day together; instead, she was stuck with her boyfriend's younger sister.

As Kim quirked one eye upward at the vocal-and energetic-toddler, she was so glad that she wasn't babysitting anymore. Sure, she still took the occasional job, but dealing with crazy kids was a thing of the past. Well, baring one exception. "Hana?"

The toddle stopped charging around the ceiling, somehow coming to a stop facing Kim. She gave a small little smile. "What? KP?"

Kim rolled her eyes again. Ron's little sister had quickly picked up on many of his habits, and this was one of the ones that made her want to laugh and cringe at the same time. The nickname had been something that only Ron had ever used, and to hear it from Ron's little sister was a bit disconcerting. At the same time, though, she was warming up to it, and had finally insisted that Hana use 'KP' instead of 'Kim.' That had seemed to delight the little girl, making her feel like she was being brought into some sort of secret club.

"Aren't you tired of all that running yet?"

The kid shook her head, giggling a bit. "Nope. Fun."

Kim laid back, giving a small groan. She looked around, wondering what was taking her boyfriend so long. Hana caught on quick, looking around too. "Ron back?"

The teen shook her head. "No, not yet, he's still busy Christmas shopping, I guess."

"For you?" The little girl had come over, and hopped up on the couch next to Kim, looking at her. The red head returned the look, getting a little suspicious as her friend's sister continued. "Shhhh, secret."

Kim narrowed her eyes, then gave a devious smile. "Hana, you wouldn't happen to know what Ron's getting me, do you?" The little girl's eyes got wide, and she shook her head quietly. "Hmmm, I think you do..." The teen inched closer, while the little girl inched away. "Tell me."

Hana pursed her lips, unsure. Her brother had told her it was a secret, had explained the concept, that it was a surprise, to make Kim happy. At the same time, the toddler really didn't want to keep anything from Kim. She sat, torn, her mouth opening to speak, then closing quietly as she tried to decide. She finally opened her mouth to reply. "He's..."

"Am I going to have to explain secrets again?"

"Ron! Ron, Ron, Ron." The girl was off the couch in an instant, crossing the room and in his arms, hugging him tightly. He gave a small yelp in surprise, barely managing to hold on to the box under his arm, and the hyperactive child holding on to him. He shifted a bit, then shuffled over to couch and flopped back next to Kim. Hana giggled as they bounced.

Kim, amused, leaned over for a quick kiss, at the same time slipping the package from her distracted boyfriend. "Hmmm, 'to Kim, love Ron.' I wonder what it is?" She shook it a bit, playfully, hearing some faint noises from inside. Ron reached for it desperately, but she was off the couch in an instant, holding it just out of his grasp. "Clothing? Club Banana, and I hope you got Monique to help you pick it. Or maybe jewelry? Doesn't sound like it, though."

"KP, come on, it's a surprise." He snatched at it, but missed.

"You know I don't like surprises. Besides, how good a surprise could it be if you got it last minute like this?" She let a little of her pique across at Ron. Instead of looking guilty, he smiled.

"Kim, you have no idea how long I've had this gift saved for you. I just had to make sure that it was all ready for Christmas-that's why I had to spend so long there today."

"Then what..." With a smirk, Ron pulled it from her hands.

The red head narrowed her eyes as she watched Ron back up. She could tell by the way he was moving that he was ready for her to launch herself across the room; he was moving carefully, slowly, on the balls of his feet, ready for her to make her wild grab. Instead, she smirked, letting her eyes widen a bit; she turned her body, letting her bottom lip push out, her voice raising just a bit. "Pwease, Ronnie, what's in the box?"

Her boyfriend winced at the puppydog pout, knowing he was done for. Unless..."Emergency PDP defense!" As Kim opened her mouth to ask what he had planned, she watched as he grabbed his sister around the waist, lifting her up until she was eye to eye with Kim.

"KP, tell story!" The child gave the cutest look she could manage. Kim's eyes narrowed to mere slits.

"Ron, don't even think that you can get...away...with..." She looked into the begging face of her boyfriend's sister. "Awww, I can't do it." She sighed, closing her eyes. "Fine, one story, then I'm pumping Ron for info."

Cheers went up around the room, from Hana, Ron, and even Rufus, and soon the three were sitting around the floor looking up at her. She looked at her best friend and shook her head. She thought for a moment, then smiled to herself. "Do you remember Snowman Hank?" Ron's sister looked up at Kim, then shook her head.

Kim turned to her boyfriend, incredulous. "She doesn't remember? And you haven't reminded her or watched it again?"

He shrugged back, defensively. "Well, that's a Kim and Ron tradition. And it's not on yet. Actually, it's not on anymore, with Extreme X-mas..." She looked at him, and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know we have it on video, now, but that's for tonight. So no, I haven't told Hana about Snowman Hank. It's her first Christmas!"

Kim rolled her eyes. "Second Christmas, Ron, she saw the movie last year."

He crossed his arms. "First Christmas. Last year didn't count if she can't remember Snowman Hank."

The red head shook her head, then looked down at Hana. "Well, in that case, how about we do something better than a story."

"Better?" Hana looked to her brother, but he shook his head and shrugged, just as unsure. "What?"

Kim reached down and scooped her up, carrying the kid across the living room, "You'll see."

X X X X

"I'm cold."

Kim sighed. It had seemed like such a good idea from the start, take everyone outside, and have an adventure of sorts. The red head had explained that instead of telling about Snowman Hank and his six tasks, they could all go out and do the six tasks, or at least something similar, in town. It was actually pretty feasible, and Kim already had an idea of how to do a couple of the six tasks. She was still a little stumped on some of the others, but knew that Ron would back her up. That is, if she could get him to quit whining.

"Ron, I know it's cold, but it's winter. It's supposed to be cold. And look at Hana, she's enjoying herself." The toddler was running around, off the sidewalk, playing in the snow, tossing it around and into the air. Rufus, wrapped up tightly in a small scarf, and nestled in Hana's hood, was supervising. As she turned back to her boyfriend, she rolled her eyes. "And with your coat open like that, of course you're cold."

The red head grinned, then hugged against his chest, her arms slipping inside his coat and wrapping around his body, squeezing him tightly. "I guess if you're cold, though, we could share body warmth."

He choked a bit, sputtering, but wrapped his arms around her. After a few seconds, he mumbled. "Great, now I'm feeling hot..."

Kim smirked, gave his a kiss, then pulled away, grabbing his hand as they followed Hana for a bit. The little kid played in the snow for a few more minutes, running all around each yard they passed. Kim and Ron waved as they passed a few people out and about, some shoveling the recent snowfall, others out with children building snowmen and sledding. As the two teens turned back to Hana, they found her standing in front of them, hands on her hips, staring up at them. "Six Tasks?"

The red head smiled, sweeping her up again, then looking over at Ron. "I'll let Ron field this one."

He blinked, looking around. "Field what?" Kim elbowed him in the side, and Hana giggled. He stuttered again. "R-right, Snowman Hank, six tasks, got it."

The blond motioned around, letting his voice deepen a bit like the announcer in the show. "'The six tasks of Snowman Hank, an epic tale about friends, family, and turning bad guys good, Act one, Scene one...'" He trailed off as Kim glared at him, shaking her head. Shrugging, he stuck his tongue out, then continued in a more normal voice, though still repeating from rote. "'You've got to find what's been lost and give up what you've found… make a friend, make an enemy, underneath the ground. When the rocks start rolling and the rivers won't flow, then what can't move will show you the way you have to go.'"

Hana looked at the two teens, her eyes a narrowed. "Huh?"

Kim smiled, setting the kid down, then reached over to grab Hana's hand, getting her situated beside her, the child in between the two teens. Ron grabbed her hand as well, while Kim explained. "Well, each thing means something, and there are six tasks. They're all a little confusing, but I'm sure that we'll figure it out. Two of them are pretty easy if you know the movie. 'The rocks start rolling' means the road is all blocked up and people can't pass."

Ron's sister looked around, thinking for a second. "Kinda like the snow?" She motioned to all the driveways piled with snow, many of them still being shoveled.

The red head nodded back, smiling to herself; they had gone around the block now, and were almost back at her house. She pointed towards her driveway and smirked. "Look, there's snow all over our 'road'."

Hana clapped her hands, and started making her way to the garage. "First task, first task. Gonna be like Snowman Hank!"

Ron laughed, then leaned over to Kim, whispering. "So what have you got planned for the other five tasks?"

Kim winced a bit. "I'm still working on that."

X X X X

It took Kim and Ron almost forty minutes to clear the driveway; mainly because Hana was helping. She took mischievous glee in kicking snow back onto the sections they had cleared. Finally Ron chased after her, getting her off the path. She giggled and ran off, and her brother gave up the chase, going back to shoveling snow. As Kim looked at the snow they were piling up, she smiled, then got closer to her boyfriend, reaching in his pocket. She came up with a small, scarf-wrapped mole rat. Rufus had retreated back to Ron's pants after getting a little chilly, but now he was toasty warm again. The teen whispered down to him, and the mole rat smiled up at her, nodding in agreement. She set him down, and he scampered off.

Ron looked at his best friend, shrugged, then continued shoveling. In the mean time, Hana had come over, and was looking around innocently. Kim motioned her over, then looked at the pile of snow they were making. "Hey, Hana, ever gone digging in snow to make an igloo?"

She shook her head, and Kim got down on her knees next to pile, then started scooping at the snow. Hana joined in, and soon they had tunneled out a small section under the snow. Fortunately, between the packed snow, and Kim being careful, the little tunnel was fairly sturdy, and soon Hana could fit inside. The little kid worked her way in, then turned back to Kim. As she did, she heard a noise behind her, and felt some of the snow shift and land on her head. She turned around, and grinned widely as she spotted Rufus tunneling in the snow.

As Hana crawled out, holding Rufus up, Kim smiled. "Task Two: finding a friend underground. Or under the snow, anyway." She turned back around, looking over the still half-covered driveway, and motioned the little girl off. "Why don't you go play with Rufus until Ron and I are done with the snow."

"Okay." She chirped, picking up the almost naked mole rat, tucking him into her hood, then going out into the yard to play. Kim joined her boyfriend in shoveling the rest of the snow. They were almost done, when the red head heard a few small pats of snow. She turned her head, noticing that Hana was packing some snow with her gloves. Kim narrowed her eyes a bit, wondering who was going to be the child's target. Fortunately, she needn't have worried; Hana's focus was square on her brother.

A few second's later, Kim heard a loud snow splat, followed by an easily recognized, "Aww, man! Hana!" As the teen turned, she caught a glimpse of the small child running by, followed closely by her older brother. Under normal circumstances, the older brother should have won; but Hana was no normal child. She ran directly towards the nearest tree, then continued to run straight up said tree. She was in the upper branches in no time. Ron on the other hand, too focused on his mad dash, plowed straight into the tree. The tree, filled with snow, dumped its load on the teen.

Kim chuckled as she heard her boyfriend yelling angrily from inside the snowpile. She looked up at Hana in the tree, and the child quickly climbed down. "Looks like you made an enemy, Hana."

As she reached the ground, the child started hopping up and down gleefully. "Task Three, Task Three!"

The red head frowned for a second, then smiled. "Yep, task three. You just made an enemy under the ground, didn't you?"

"Yep!" The toddler yelped and took off running as her 'enemy' popped out of the snow pile and took off after her.

X X X X

After playing outside in the snow for a couple of hours, Kim decided to put a hold on their activities, herding them all inside the house. Ron, after having so much fun, was now whining at coming in. His girlfriend couldn't help but roll her eyes; there was no pleasing him. As she helped Hana take off her coat and boots, she mulled over the last three tasks. 'River won't flow...find what's been lost...give up what you've found.'

"Hey, KP, I've got a problem here."

The red head finished shucking the clothes off of Hana, then walked into the kitchen, the little girl following her. She spotted Ron, and quickly walked over, pausing next to him, standing near the sink. "What's the problem?"

Wordlessly, he grabbed the faucet handle and lifted it. Nothing came out. He pumped it up and down a couple of times, like he hoped it would just start working, but nothing happened. Kim sighed. "Must be the water heater tripping the sensor again. Dad still hasn't quite got it set right yet." She mulled things over for a second, then started towards the basement.

After the Lorwardian attack, just over six months ago, the Possibles had to get their house completely rebuilt. The house itself had been rebuilt almost exactly as it had been before, but things weren't quite perfect. Originally, Kim's father had the house constructed according to customized plans; the house was rebuilt using the same plans, but some of the equipment used in the original build were no longer available. Similar parts had been substituted, but there were still a few bugs in the system.

As Kim made her way downstairs, she couldn't help but think about the things that they had lost. Pictures, trophies, toys, there hadn't been a lot to salvage after the attack. A few cherished mementos had been saved, but many more hadn't. Kim's thoughts drifted towards her empty bed top, and she shook her head, focusing on the task at hand. What was important was that they were save, happy and together. The teen reached the water heater sensor, and hit the reset button. Soon she heard cheers from upstairs.

The red head made her way back up to the top, then paused as she watched Hana jumping up and down in glee. Ron smiled a bit and ruffled her hair, then winked at Kim before explaining. "The Fourth task is done, making the 'river' flow again."

"Booyah!" Hana pumped a hand in the air, cheering.

"Sounds like everyone's having a good time in here." Ann Possible made her way into the kitchen from the garage, James following, with the Stoppables right behind. Kim's Nana brought up the back, quickly joining the group in the kitchen. They had been out, around town. Kim was suspicious, wondering if her grandmother or mother had planned the trip just to leave Kim and Ron home for some time together. The teen rolled her eyes to herself-that hadn't turned out quite the way she had planned. As she looked over at Hana, though, grinning and talking almost non-stop, she realized that the day had been worth it.

X X X X

After getting home, the families had talked together for a while, before the teens' moms decided to get together and work on the meal for the night. Ron volunteered to help, but the adults had shooed him off, and now Kim was more sure than ever that they were being given some alone time. As she made her way to her room, Kim chuckled to herself, hearing Ron following her. She reached the top and flopped back on her bed, grinning at him as he approached.

Instead of sitting on the edge of her bed, however, he made his way around the side. Kim sat up, giving a small huff, and rolled on her side. "What are you doing?"

He walked over to her dresser, and picked up her Kimmunicator, looking at it. He tapped a couple of the buttons. Kim rolled her eyes. "It's off, Ron, there'll be no interruptions tonight. Shego promised."

Ron set the device down next to Kim's Christmas present, smirking. He had been a little fearful at first, wondering if Wade was going to beep in on them while they were busy; he'd also been concerned that Wade hadn't beeped them yet. The two teens had gone almost three days without hearing anything from the super genius, and now the blond understood why. If Shego was on duty, he felt much more free to relax and not worry about things.

He sat on the bed next to Kim, and leaned over to give her a kiss. He paused as he heard someone clearing their throat from the end of the bed. As he looked over, he groaned. His sister stood at the end, nearly glaring at them. Hana looked back and forth between the two teens, then looked down at her open hand. She started counting off her fingers, then turned her head back to then, accusingly. "That's four. Last two?"

Kim looked over at her boyfriend and bit her lip. She was stumped. The first few had been easy to figure out, and with Ron's help, they'd been pretty easy to do. The last two were a little more complicated, and she was out of ideas. To her surprise, Ron took in a slow breath, grabbing her present off her dresser, whispering the last bit to himself, unbelieving. "...find what's been lost, and give up what you've found." He placed the box in her hands, looking down at his sister, then back to Kim.

As Kim pulled the wrapping off, she realized that she was holding a small, nondescript white box. She looked back to Ron, confused, then slid the top off, placing it to the side. As her gaze fell to the object in the box, she gasped, her hand going to her mouth. Ron, a little unsure, asked, "Do you...like it?"

The red head slowly lowered her hands inside the box, grabbing the object inside. She lifted it out, carefully, in disbelief, she turned to her boyfriend. "How? How did you find it, I thought it was gone."

As Kim lifted her pandaroo out of the box, she looked it over. The plushie was in less than perfect shape, a long seam down the center, a number of black and white patches over its body, but it was Kim's original cuddle buddy. Her fingers reached up to touch the small locket wrapped around its neck, the edge slightly melted, but the 'K & R' inscription still readable.

"I-I just knew that it couldn't have been destroyed, not after the stuff we've been together, not as long as you've had it. After the Lorwardian attack, after your home was destroyed, you lost everything, and I just wanted to find something I could give you back. It took me months, I've been looking almost every day, I'd just about given up hope when I found it. It was tattered, in pretty rough shape, so I took it to a shop here in town, almost a month ago, hoping they could fix it."

Kim clutched it closely, the pandaroo feeling just as natural and familiar as it always had in her arms. Hana climbed up on the bed next to her, looking the pandaroo over as well. She kept quiet, however, knowing it was a moment between Kim and Ron. The red head looked at her boyfriend, then grabbed him, pulling him towards her as she kissed him, the pandaroo smushed between them. As she pulled away, she looked into his eyes.

"Thank you, so much. I-I can't believe that you've been looking this long, that you found it, I thought it was gone. I can't say how much this means." She set the stuffed plushie back in its place of honor, at the top of her bed, before standing, tugging him off the bed, and kissing him again. He wrapped his arms around her, smiling as well.

Kim rolled around in his arms, her back to her chest, and mumbled, almost to herself. "Our Christmases keep getting better and better, and this one couldn't have been more perfect. Two years ago you tried to fight Drakken for me, and this year you spent months looking for my pandaroo." She tilted her head back, looking up at him and grinning. "You're going to spoil me, Mr Stoppable."

"Spoil you? Never. And always." He kissed the top of her head, then turned her around, looking at Hana. "Lets get back downstairs with everyone."

Kim nodded, grabbing his hand and squeezing it, then went down the stairs ahead of him. She smirked, speaking to him without turning. "After the last couple of years, and this year, I doubt you could possibly do anything to top your gifts."

Ron watched her reach the bottom of the steps, his hand sliding down into his pocket, gripping a small velvet box. "We'll see."

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**A/N** Well, this turned out a little different from my original draft, but I like it. After reading about the Snowman Hank discussion in the forum, I figured I had to write something. This is based on Diane Duane's proposed outline of 'The Six Tasks of Snowman Hank.' I-and Ron-borrowed the quote about the six tasks directly from there. My six tasks might not match up exactly, but I thought they still fit pretty good. If you haven't read it, you might check it out.

And I guess I might have left myself open for next year's story, too.

Merry Christmas.


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